A new Statistics Canada report says half a million seniors had trouble getting specialized care.
StatCan estimated more than 4.5 million people 65 and older visited medical specialists, got non-emergency tests or had non-emergency surgeries in 2019 and 2020.
More than 15 per cent of the seniors reported having difficulty while they were trying to access those services.
Common barriers included trouble getting a referral, difficulty getting an appointment, long wait times and services not being available at the time they were needed.
The report says older women were less likely than older men to visit medical specialists and receive tests.
It also says seniors with a lower education level weren't as likely to use specialized health-care services.
The report says that seniors who had ongoing physical illness or mental health issues were more likely to use specialized health services than older Canadians who were relatively healthy.
StatCan says the study highlights the importance of considering gender, overall physical and mental health, as well as psychosocial factors when assessing the use of specialized health services.
The agency used a representative sample of 39,047 Canadians age 65 and older to identify the patterns related to health-care service use.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2024.
